S. Korean scandal widens as aide held

SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors detained a former presidential aide as an influence-peddling scandal moves closer to embattled leader Park Geun-Hye, with the justice minister warning Thursday that Park could face a probe.

Ahn Jong-Beom, who was dismissed on Sunday, is the second person to be taken into emergency detention after Park’s close friend Choi Soon-Sil was held Monday for questioning in the snowballing scandal.

Park is scrambling to deflect rising public anger over suggestions that Choi — the daughter of a shadowy religious figure — vetted presidential speeches, had access to classified documents, and used her influence for personal enrichment.

The scandal has shaken the presidency, exposing Park to public outrage and ridicule and, with just over a year left in office, seen her approval ratings plunge into the single digits.

Choi has denied allegations that she used her friendship with Park to strongarm companies like Samsung into donating large sums to non-profit foundations that she then used for personal gains, Yonhap said.

“Depending on where the ongoing investigation leads, I will consider whether it is necessary and legally possible to investigate (Park) to find truth,” he said.

Under South Korea’s constitution, the incumbent president may not be charged with a criminal offense except for insurrection or treason.

But it is not clear whether the sitting president can be probed by prosecutors and then charged after they leave office.

“If the president calls for a probe, there would be no limits to the investigation,” the minister added, in comments that indicate, for the first time since the scandal broke in September, that Park herself could face questioning.

In an effort to deflect rising public criticism, Park had been urged to create a neutral cabinet by bringing in members from outside her ruling conservative Saenuri Party.

On Thursday, she announced her pick for chief of staff, Han Gwang-Ok, a former aide to late President Kim Dae-Jung, in an appointment the presidential Blue House said would help get the rattled administration back on track.

The 74-year-old veteran politician, a long serving liberal who switched sides and joined Park’s administration in 2013, has dedicated his life to “democracy and national reconciliation”.

“He is well suited to assist the president from the citizens’ perspective,” presidential spokesman Jung Youn-Kuk said.

Park has also reached across the traditional political divide with a host of new appointments, including tapping a liberal politician as her new prime minister — a largely symbolic post.

But the opposition has dismissed the reshuffle as a smokescreen, calling for a full investigation of Park’s relationship with Choi and vowing to block the new prime minister’s nomination by wielding their combined parliamentary majority.